Since 1877, The Carl Ebel label has been associated with pianos of the highest quality. Growing up in the Black Forest region of Germany, Carl Ebel developed an innate love for the woods of the region. When he was of age, he took an apprenticeship at the factory of the world famous Julius Bluthner. Here he learned all the fine details that go into the art of pianobuilding. From casting the plate, to choosing the proper piece of wood for the soundboard ,to the fine voicing of the hammers, Carl learned the art of pianobuilding and then went on his own. Starting in a modest facility of 2 buildings, Carl applied all the knowledge of his craft to his lifelong dream of building a piano with his name. His scale designs were an immediate success. His plates were sand cast and took 12 to 16 months to cure. This slow aging process produced a plate of the highest standard with no evident overtones. He then set out to create the strings that would complement his designs. He used only the finest Swedish steel which was considered the best in the world. His hammers he painstakingly crafted by hand using the knowledge he aquired at the Bluthner factory. He used only the finest felt available. Although expensive, the felt was a very important detail in the creation of sound quality. It had to be uniform in thickness and hardness to produce an even tone. The wrestplank was crafted of Beech, a hardwood that would hold the tension on the pinblock over prolonged periods of time thus ensuring that the tuning would hold its pitch. The soundboards were made of the finest quality Bavarian spruce. This wood came from the highest elevations thus insuring slow growth and close annular rings. He was the first piano builder to taper his soundboard. Everyone else followed. The case of his pianos was made of Beech and Spruce. This combination produced a completely unique quality of tone that was strong but not overpowering. It proved to be the perfect compliment to his scale designs. Today the Carl Ebel pianos are made by machine. However, the same scale designs are still used. All of the specifications are identical to the original pianos and the sound produced is very much like the sound of 1877. It is truly one of the classic pianos that Germany is famous for producing.